Considered to be a fully-fledged
production prototype, the Arado Ar 197-V3 was fully navalized and armed, but
the advances in shipboard fighter monoplane design rendered the design obsolete
before production.
Although
German plans for the construction of aircraft carriers never reached fruition
(the Graf Zeppelin was launched but never completed), a number of aircraft were
developed with carrier operation in mind. One of these was the Arado Ar 197,
developed in parallel with the Ar 68H which it closely resembled. The first
prototype was powered by a 900-hp (671-kW) Daimler Benz DB 600A inline engine
which turned a three-blade propeller. The second aircraft, with its 815-hp
(608-kW) BMW 132J radial engine, was the first navalised example, fitted with
catapult spools and arrester hook. Both aircraft flew in the spring of 1937,
followed closely by the third prototype, to which was fitted an uprated BMW
132De engine. Evaluation at Erprobungstelle Travemünde was not followed by a
production order.
The Ar 197
V3 was selected to participate in evaluation, but was not chosen for
production. By the time Graf Zeppelin was to have been completed, biplanes such
as the Ar 197 would have been hopelessly outclassed as fighters. In 1939, the
Bf 109T, the naval version of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter plane, was
selected as the successor to the Arado Ar 197, and in 1941, the Me 155 was
selected as the successor to the Bf 109T.
Specifications (Arado Ar 197 V3)
General characteristics
* Crew: 1 (pilot)
* Length: 9.2 m (30 ft 2¼ in)
* Wingspan: 11 m (37 ft 8¼ in)
* Height: 3.6 m (11 ft 9¾ in)
* Wing area: 37.8 m² (299.13 ft²)
* Empty weight: 1,840 kg (4,057 lb)
* Loaded weight: 2,475 kg (5,457 lb)
Performance
* Maximum speed: 400 km/h (248 mph)
* Range: 659 km (432 miles)
* Service ceiling: 8,600 m (26,213 ft)
Armament
* 2 × 7.92 mm (0.312 in) MG 15 machine guns
and 1 × 20 mm MG FF cannon.
* Up to 4 × 50 kg (110 lb) bombs.
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